Sunday, August 29, 2010

Labeled Glob Top Portland Fifth Discovered!

I have collected Western glass for close to 40 years, and really have an interest in Oregon bottles in addition to all historic Western glass. Awhile back, I became aware of a whiskey bottle that had recently been found during a remodel. The bottle, I was told, fell 25 feet out of a ceiling, and landed in a pile of lathe, insulation, and plaster. It bounced across the floor and like the song involving a meatball, almost rolled out the door.

Being a non bottle collector, the gentleman described the bottle as a brown whiskey from Portland, Oregon, and was from A.P. Hotaling. I was hoping it was an early glob top, but concluded that it was likely a nice label only fifth, and I would be interested in looking at it. The photos came on line, and I could not believe my eyes! It was a fully labeled, Portland Hotaling "Rick Rack" glob top, and it was the RARE second version! Now my heart was really pounding, as I have never even heard of an Oregon glob fifth with a label, let alone on of the rarest open face Western whiskeys. After much back and forth discussions, we agreed to meet half way between us (7 hour drive each), and when I held this beauty, I was happy to see it beautifully whittled, and in absolutely perfect condition. Of note is the words "A.P.Hotaling, & Co." no less than 10 times on this one bottle !For an Oregon guy, this is a cornerstone piece for my collection. I have asked Mike Dolcini to draft a post surrounding Hotaling's Northwest presence, and distribution. This will hopefully follow shortly.

10 comments:

Awesome, and probably the most significant "new" glop-top find to surface in years. It is incredibly difficult and nearly impossible to find such a rare early fifth with the label intact, and appearing almost 100% intact, is just even more unbelievable. Congrats !

Another great find. Couple this Hotaling with your, crude best expample,full face Portland Hotaling and you have two of the most important Oregon and western cylinders to be located in quite awhile. This bottle is a true historical of the west and represents, with the labels, a glimpse into our early western culture.CongratulationsDennis E

I'm happy that the "chicken is out of the pot", Dale. I was working all sorts of good juju for you for the past several days. What an outstanding bottle! It would be a key component to any western collection, not just Oregon. I'll see what can be done to assert Hotaling's dealings in the Northwest.

Another key aspect of the label that I just noticed is that J. H. Cutter is nowhere to be seen. The barrel ends have the crown, but the familiar name isn't there. It appears that this bottle contained "Choice APH", another of his proprietary brands. It was a good seller and survived with the company until after prohibition. This in no way suggests that Hotaling had divested himself of the familiar Cutter brand by this time, but merely indicates the promotion of other products produced by his operations.